Felix (Robsbawm)

Does Safen know about this "stranger" fellow? :P

*Andwari approaches the docks, looking for a ship back to Queenspoint. He's had a few more drinks than he should have and his sight is a bit blurry but he can make out the figure of an old man floating in the morning mist. A light breeze blows and is just enough to clear the mist round the old man, revealing his paintings and also the subject of his latest portraits, the former proud flagship of the Alrasian Navy, King Syrio's Beard. "Ye should ave -hiccup- ired some -burp- cute elfess models to stand round on top of ta sh-sh-sipsh. Ye could even -hiccup- sell a calendar of it. Say, share ta proceeds wit me, since Ah gave ta idea?" says Andwari. "Ahn?" says the painter. *The painter turns to see who's talking to him, then looks condescendingly at the drunk dwarf and waves him off. "You're too late, mate! I did that last week! Sold all those paintings very quickly so I don't have any to show you. Mind your step, there. Don't fall to the sea and drown now. That would utterly spoil the whole ambiance and I'd have to come back another day and start all over!" *And with that, Andwari departs. With one last look back at the Beard, he can only longingly think there aren't enough pictures of hot elfesses in the world to make up for the loss of his beloved city. A picture or two would improve his mood this morning though.

((I thought the Bloodmages were to be the "Undead" of Asulon. What happened?))

((You're right, it could be done in a more limited fashion, involving only the Dwarven Kingdom at first. IRL there are many different ways to travel. Some people are afraid of planes, so they travel by road, by barge, by ship. Are dwarves afraid of drowning? I know Alrasian and Holmish dwarves aren't, since they can sail and swim. Maybe those dwarves who've spent too much time underground become progressively fearful of drowning and susceptible to sunstroke, then they pass on that fear to the next generation and so on. Plus dwarves would like traveling underground better than on the surface anyway, because it's just the dwarven way. Thus you'd have an RP reason for several tunnels to radiate from the dwarven homeland toward all other mainland nations. Maybe even set up undersea tunnels some day. The mori would probably like that too. "Imagine a world where mori can travel without pumpkin helmets!" :P ((Still, it would be neat to build them and to travel along them but they won't generate trade by themselves. ((So, what do you think? Could really old dwarves who've lived underground too long start shunning sunlight and open water? It would be an interesting weakness that would at the same time balance and be derived from the enviable dwarven capacity for relentless digging.))

((Hello, my character is Felix, a human lvl 100 lumberjack who lives and works in Alras and who's travelled almost all over. Thanks to those travels, I think have a pretty good idea of how big Asulon is and of how frequently (or unfrequently) you can find random people online to RP and trade with. ((It's often complained that Asulon is too big, because we're too spread out, which lessens our chances of finding good role-play and immersion. I won't dispute whether there's more or less RP now than in Aegis, because I wasn't around back then. The reason ascribed to that is wrong though. Asulon is not too big, as you may notice if you try and travel straight from, say, Alras to Arethor. That should take about 10min, or half an in-game day. IRL, if you're fit and the terrain is not too challenging, that would mean some 10mi (16km). So, in-game or irl, it's not too much of a distance. ((I won't get into why there's less RP even if the distances involved are not especially long. I'll just focus on trade. The lack of an auto-trade plug-in doesn't help. I'm sure they'll get to it after implementing the magic plug-in. I think that's a case of inverted priorities but I don't know how hard it is to shift from one programming task to another, so my opinion on this isn't worth much. That's just a minor problem in the great scheme of things. We players could have been trading RP-ly all this time. We didn't and it was for a good reason. From the biggest nation to the smallest village, everyone tries to and succeeds in supplying their own needs internally, rather than through international trade. Why? Because they can, because that's how Minecraft works, because there's a bit of everything you need everywhere. ((So, it's not that the roads are dangerous, even though they occasionally are. It's that there's no reason for trading to begin with. There's an interesting thread about this, and there's some people genuinely trying to set up some sort of RP caravan system. I raised some of these very same objections in that thread, plus the problem of not having any luxury goods in Minecraft. Then the King of Seventis came up with the idea of using GM-modified books to stand in for luxury goods. We would still need to set up RP-ly what regions would supply each good, and why rich people would want to buy each good, etc. Still, it's coming along as an idea, and if GMs and national leaders support it, it might well be done after all. ((That's the end of my objections to your suggestion that building a continent-spanning tunnel trade system plus a small trading hub would improve RP server-wide. I think you should continue to throw ideas around to improve trade and RP. Since I can't come up with any, my thankless task is read others' ideas and raise objections. ((Sorry for the length of my post. If you prove me wrong, that's all the better. As your suggestion stands now, Urak'lur's caravans still sound better to me.))

((Corrected. By the way, what did they eat? Did they drink lots of milk? It must have been so much fun.))

((Well, you're not quite the very first. Still, the first ones to actually do some serious diplomatic role-play, I suppose. Tell the Kharajyr mission that in Alras we like to burn kittens alive for entertainment. That could be the occasion for an interesting Alras-Kharajyr tension. Just a friendly silly suggestion. You're high-elves, so you could act with hauteur and say "Huh, a city of humans, dwarves, and elven mongrels built upon greed, it's no wonder their ways are so barbarous. They stain their hands with dirt and gold, and a farmer regularly sits in council with their king! They're not even inbred, I mean, pure!" :P ))

Why not just The Church of Five? The symbol could be a hand instead of a four-pointed cross, or maybe a star, or a pentagon. And in keeping with the Byzantine theme, the King or Emperor (the Romans hated the word King/Rex, which is why Caesar had to use different titles like Prince/Princeps and Emperor/Imperator, while he actually ruled through the offices of Consul and Dictator) is also head of the Church. He would not administer mass or any ceremonies but he would have a last word on church administration, finances, offices, and rules.

Name ((RP and MC)): Felix Lonebarrow ((Robsbawm)) Age ((IC and OOC)): 60 ((23)) Combat skills: Until not so long ago, all I knew of the world was my little nameless isolated village in the far north. We didn't have many visitors but the occasional ones usually meant harm. We chased away the wild wolf and the common bandit alike but we never had to fight any real battles. That's all my fighting instruction really comes down to. ((15 Archery; 12 Axe.)) Non-combat skills: In Alras, I work at the tree farm and will continue to do so as long as my age allows it. ((55 Lumberjack.)) Experience: No battles in all these last sixty years. Don't expect any cowardice from this old man, though. If I was never afraid of the monsters and robbers that roam deserted roads at night, neither will I be afraid of monsters and robbers who wear armour and fight under colourful banners. ((I'm new around here so I've really never joined any army.)) Why you want to join: Now that I've travelled through much of Asulon and joined the Kingdom of Alras, I came to understand that as a citizen of a great nation, greater dangers must be faced than I'm used to. ((Felix is human and sixty years old. He will not last much longer. If I am to continue playing here, then I'll have to create a new character soon. Before that, I'd like to enjoy my time as Felix as much as possible and that includes experiencing battle. I want to see how it's done in this server, how much RP is involved in it, etc, so that when I have a new young character, I won't blunder about as much as I do now.)) Other: If m'lord doesn't think I should be in the Order, rest assured that I'll still stand ready to defend Alras as an armed civilian if the need should ever arise. ((I'm not in a rush to join the coming battle this next sunday if you don't think I qualify. I'll keep training my skills and hopefully I'll be ready before everything is peaceful again.))

*Felix would love to enjoy the frontier hospitality and the frontier dangers of this great new northern nation some day and signs the charter.* ((First time signing anything. I assume that does not make me a citizen of the new nation and only shows my support for the idea of it. If I'm wrong, please let me know and I'll change the wording.))

Out-Of-Character Minecraft Account Name: Robsbawm. How old are you?: 23. Time-Zone/Country of Residence: GMT-3/Brazil. Do you have a good grip on the English language/good grammar?: What little English I can manage was all learned at school, in books, and on the internet. No, I did not use Google Translate to write this, it is not that bad. Simply put, I'll read and write just fine, and I might be able to understand what's going on in a rapid-fire TeamSpeak talk, but do not expect me to be particularly voluble. Small 2-3 Sentence Description of yourself: I'm unemployed. I occasionally drink a little. What I'm looking for here is a novel form of escapism. Don't worry, I take escapism up very seriously. How much time could you be on the server weekly?: About 9 hours. I have a lot of free time now, but I hope that will change over the next couple months. What do you know about Roleplaying? Give a definition of what it means to you: I imagine it is like one of those storybooks in which the reader has to make certain choices, pick one path over another. The scenarios and the settings are more or less fixed for a particular book, but you do have some space to move around in, to interact, and to take the consequences for it. Multiplayer RPG should be more fun and also more complicated than that, I hope. What experience have you had in Roleplaying, if any?: I have unfortunately never role-played. I once tried getting my friends to play an RPG without success. But now that I've thought a little harder, there was this game called Little Big Adventure 2: Twinsen's Odissey, a singleplayer PC game that I and my siblings loved playing as children. We even had the soundtrack burned onto a CD so we could listen to it while not in front of a screen. That was RPG-y. In your own Words, define what the act of Meta-Gaming is: Breaking the fourth wall, except the audience is yourself. Wow, that sounds brilliant. I'm impressed with myself. Don't anyone steal that! In your own Words, define what the act of Power-Gaming is: A friend of mine who was a jerk and who played RPGs frequently (I don't think those facts are related) once told me that the main difference between a good DG and a bad DG is that a bad DG will get you stuck in a hole you cannot dig yourself out of, you cannot climb out of, you cannot be pulled from, whereas a good DG would do no such thing. So, I shouldn't put fellow players in a bad DG situation. What do you expect this server will be like?: I expect it will be confusing and maybe even deadly when I first stumble on the shores of Asulon. It seems like a very big and complicated place, which means exploring could be very exciting, despite bandits and creatures of the night. If the forums are truthful, I also expect to join a guild or a town soon enough. Then I would get myself initiated into a trade, I would travel to see what's been built. Also, whenever I find the opportunity, I'd stop and help to build little towns, bridges, and forts with fellow players. What other server(s) have you played on and why did you leave them?: I got to know Minecraft because of the Yogscast on YouTube, so the first and only server I've ever been to was one listed in their forums as SW Gaming Survival and Creative Server. It was fine, but after building one temple all by myself (all my friends are playing EVE or HoN...), and since they had no big communal projects going on, I got a bit bored. I also had a small 20 slots server where my friends and I played, but I don't know if that counts. Have you read, understood, and agreed to the rules?: Yes, sir/ma'am, I have indeed. Do you promise to abide by said rules, and laws? This includes the Server, Forum, and Teamspeak set Rules: Sure do. How did you hear about us?: minecraftforum.net while I was looking for an RPG server with an important political dimension. Have you voted for the Lord of the Craft on Minestatus? Which vote number were you?: Yes. Number 3,891. Have you posted this application on our minecraft forum thread yet? If not, just finish it up on here and then copy + paste is over there. (http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/832121-%E2%96%91%E2%96%92%E2%96%93-the-lord-of-the-craft-%E2%96%93%E2%96%92%E2%96%91-enter-the-world-of-asulon-o-f-f-i-c-i-a-l-l-y-t-h-e-n-o-1-r-p-s-e-r-v-e-r/): Yes, it should be there. In-Character: Character Name: Felix Lonebarrow. What Race are you?: Human. What Sub-Race are you? (note, you aren’t required to have a sub-race): Northerner, but I wonder if I may first check which nation fits me better and then rework sub-race and biography if necessary. I guess that shouldn't be an issue if I can get through the period of adaptation before I am asked many questions about my past. I hope the more interesting part of my biography is developed in-game. Biography (Please make this at least 2 paragraphs long. This must include the history of your character and his life as well as age, appearance and personality, etc.): I am an old builder who's led an utterly prosaic life. I am 5 ft 8 in tall and 60 years of age. My skin is leathery and my build is slight but stringy from much toil under the beating sun. My vigour is unimpaired, but my eyesight and my hearing have begun to dull with age. Having never married, never fathered any children, never accomplised any feats of arms or intellect that would have inscribed my name on the sacred rolls of Asulon, I felt that my days were all spent and wasted. I deliberated for a whole season, settled all my accounts, sold any belongings I couldn't carry, and set out on a great sightseeing trip. I started as a very conservative type like the hardy farmers who were my neighbours and friends all my life. As my travels took me across strange places with strange customs, I lost many of my prejudices but none of my strict rustic uprightness. Today I'm still wandering. Whenever I want to or have to, I stop for while to work and earn just enough to buy provisions. I chase after rumours of ongoing great building projects and run away if I get any wind of war and turmoil. Along the road I've learned the value of random encounters, of random generosity, and of being ready against random violence. I don't know if I'll ever settle down anew in a foreign land or if I'll repair back to my humble village where finally decay and death will lay me to rest by the side of my forebears. Probably my fate will find me in my wanderings long before that. That doesn't matter. I'm alive, all vanity and care stripped away by the sights, sounds, smells, and stories the world has to offer. What is your Character's ambitions?: I would like to design the perfect city, but that is not so much an active goal as it is a dream that seemed worthy and feasible when I was much younger. What is your character’s favorite tool? (sword, pickaxe, shovel, etc): The axe, for wood is the most available and the most versatile building material. What is one of your Character's most skilled talents? I am not really talented. I have plenty of experience in the trade. I can make a construction site run smoothly. A screenshot of your skin (must be in proper format): Other Information about your Character: I can read and write normal texts and technical drawings. I can sketch a map. I can swing an axe or sword, but I'd rather run and hide than fight. I have no qualms about race, nationality, or religion. I eat little and enjoy the coarse fare and manners of a country inn or a farmstead. I don't mind good company and good cheer, and I'll never turn away a pint of fine beer, ale, or mead. Open-Response-Questions Whilst traveling from the Cloud Temple you see a small halfling, being harassed by two armed warriors. They appear to be trying to steal money from him, how does your character respond? I would try and draw the bastards away from him. I don't think I could beat them two thieving curs. I only hope to give the halfling a chance to escape and then flee myself. It would go maybe like this: HALFLING *desperate, hurt, lying on the ground*: Please stop! You can take my money, just please don't kill me! CUR01: Halfling talks big! Halfling thinks he can negotiate with real people! CUR02: We can take your money AND your life. CURS01&02: Muahahahaha! Here our adventurer unwittingly stumbles upon the ghastly scene. ME: Oh, my. Highwaymanship is always in vogue, isn't it? CUR01: Hey, old timer! You haven't seen anything. Get back on the road! ME *collects some stones from the ground*: And after I leave, you'll leave him *points at halfling* alone, surely. CUR02: He's nothing to you. Why do you care? Would you like to share his fate? *draws sword* ME *throws stone square in the face of CUR01*: Only if you can get me, c*nt! *runs off at top speed* CUR01 *falls down momentarily stunned* CUR02 *runs after me* HALFLING *sees the opportunity, stands up, gets into the woods by the road and hides* Your character wanders into Alras, and comes across a small stall, behind which a well dressed man is standing. He’s offering various wares, the merchant turns to you and says in a posh accent " 'ello there, what can I do you for today?" What is your character response? First of all, "'Ello there" isn't posh in my book, it's just a normal bloke on the street h-dropping accent. Cockney is an h-dropping accent for crying out loud! But anyway, I would ask if he sells a sturdy but comfortable pair of walking boots. I don't mind paying a premium for a really good pair, but I won't tell him that, of course. Whilst wandering in the wilds, your character comes across a small hut, which looks abandoned. Inside it you see a chest containing a few iron bars, and a golden sword. How would your character respond?: I really don't care at all about things golden and shiny in general, and I wouldn't be much use with a sword anyway. Iron might come in handy, but I can always buy some. I don't need to steal from some poor fellow living alone in the woods, since it might just look abandoned. Hungry and lost in the wilderness, you stumble across a small trading camp nestled among the forest, they greet you you in the common tongue, how do you respond? I look around and assess whether my first impressions were correct. Are there women in the camp? Are there children running about? Do the inhabitants carry lots of weapons and jewellery, or mostly only working implements? If all seems fine, I refrain from running off for now and greet them back: ME: Hello, sir. My name is Felix Lonebarrow. I find myself a bit lost and hungry, as you can see from the sorry state I'm in. TRADER01 *with a smirk*: Well, you seem to bear famine better than most, really. ME *on the brink of passing out*: Why, thanks. Now, would you please get me some water, and bread too? I can pay for everyth- *faints* They carry me under a shady roof, bring me some milk and porridge, and splash my face with water. ME: Oh-wha-wai-who? TRADER01: You're safe. You had asked for some food and you weren't kidding. Eat slowly and sleep. You can have more later. ME *eats like a pig and doesn't even thank him till half the food's gone* ME: Sorry for my lack of manners. Thank you, Mr... TRADER01: I'm Robin Feathertouch. Call me Rob. Hell, call me fat bugger for all I care. We're far from civilisation, as you might have noticed. ME: Yes, I did notice that. You look like a small trading camp, but you're in the middle of nowhere. Business must be slow. TRADER01: Hah. For now it is, sure, but in a week... You're not from around these parts, are you? There's gonna be a big regional celebration soon and we'll be prepar- TRADER02 *comes in and addresses me*: Excuse me, visitor. *Turns to Robin* Rob, we still haven't finished raising the tents and- TRADER01: Right, right. TRADER02 *leaves* TRADER01: There's much to do and very little time. Get your strength back and don't worry about expenses. You should sleep now. See you later. You hear word that bandits occupy the road outside the town in which you have been staying. The town guard have gathered, and are asking for assistance to help eliminate them. The leader of the party is offering a reward for any who offer their support. How does your character act on this information?: I remember when mountain bandits descended on my village demanding tribute long ago and know the value of a citizens' militia. I would happily join even for no pay. Right is right, wrong is wrong. No compromise and no surrender. It would be as follows: A single sentinel stands forlorn at the town gates. It's been a long day, she's sleepy and bored and eagerly awaits the end of her shift. She sees something coming along the road, but it's too far for her to make it out. The din of terrible cries and horns familiar to all who live here can soon be distinguished and she sounds the alarm. She enters through the gates quickly as they're being shut. The wooden gates and the palisade enceinte afford more protection against beast than foe, but as to these bandits the distinction is moot. Dangerous animals, they must be bought off or otherwise kept outside at all costs. Why have they come between harvests? BANDIT_LEADER: *walks ahead of the rest and confronts the gate* Open! GUARD_CAPT: *climbs the palisade* The gate is shut! BANDITS: *drunken laughter* BANDIT_LEADER: *looks drunk but still very much in control of himself* I can see that! You know that won't hold us back for too long, only we'll be angrier when we get inside. I thought we had struck a good understanding throughout the years. We demand tribute! GUARD_CAPT: Maybe the alcohol has confused your memory. Last harvest's tribute has been paid already! BANDIT_LEADER: Why should that concern me? Sell whatever you have to and pay what you owe us. GUARD_CAPT: You know that can't be done till next season. Do you expect this harassment to go unpunished? The king will- BANDIT_LEADER: Your pretender king is much too busy now to save you. He's under siege and losing ground everywhere. Soon a new king will rise and reward all those who fought against disloyal peasant scum such as you. GUARD_CAPT: You don't have the righ- BANDIT_LEADER: Your money or your life! We're only following the ancient law of war, you see. The strong spares the life of the weak at his discretion and takes everything else! GUARD_CAPT: You speak like one of the undead: soulless, without judgement or pity. That is not how war has been fought in Asulon for countless centuries. Even the lowliest footpad would never- BANDIT_LEADER: You're too wordy for someone who's already dead. Men, set fire to the wall! You two, Benjen and Torey, find us a heavy log. We'll bring that gate down! BANDITS *cry out in excitement and madness* The bandits start lighting torches and spreading out along the wall. They're preparing for a main assault on the gate while the wall is aflame. Inside, the townsfolk cry in anguished anticipation of the barbarous night about to begin. As the sun sets, the captain of the townwatch gathers all men and women able to fight and calls on the few travellers present to offer themselves for a good reward. ME: *walks up to him* Sir, I'm no soldier, but my life and my sword are at your disposal. GUARD_CAPT: Foreigner, you look a bit old, but I'm not about to turn any extra hands away. Smith, fetch him my old chestplate. I swear to you, comrades in arms, when the sun rises anew, we may be dead, but that gate will remain shut! (I was thinking of the Seven Samurai and Game of Thrones while writing it, and it just made the outcome of the fight matter so much more to me. My character had only one line =D. I'd love to see that you're all fans of that kind of grim fiction.)